Conmen posing as Arsenal stars Thierry Henry and William Gallas
have been living it up at hotels across France.
The London-based fraudsters book hotels rooms on credit cards
before asking the hotels to send them wines they cannot get in
England, says the Daily Mail.
These are then followed up with faxed order confirmation forms and
money transfer documents on fake bank letterheaded paper.
On one occasion a director at the Royal Riviera hotel in Saint-Jean
Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera was asked to send 12 bottles of
wine worth £90,000 back to England, including a vintage Petrus
'82.
The director said the conmen then faxed through an order
confirmation and fake funds transfer on Royal Bank of
Scotland-headed notepaper.
But the staff were wise to the trick.
He added that the documents are very well done and other hotels had
been contacted by people posing as Chelsea striker Didier Drogba
and Manchester United's Louis Saha.
So far 15 hotels across France have complained to police.
Henry's and Gallas's agents said their
clients were aware of the racket.
